Cheap price

Good mileage

Decent interior

Safer than a scooter and a motorcycle

Multiple models to choose from

Good dealer network

Good support network across India

Cheap loan availability

Tata nano advert in Yahoo

nano car ad in newspapers

Tata nano home made commercial

The Standard Tata Nano, its basic model, is likely to be priced at $2,500 (Rs 1.25 lakhs). This will be the most affordable version of the Nano.

The Standard Tata Nano will have a speedometer, odometer, folding rear seats, 2-spoke steering wheel, and no airconditioning. It will come in colors such as Bright Red, Ivory White, and Summer Blue.

There you have a super basic car. It is a car alright, but not bad if you compare it to the bare basic Maruti 800, right?

Deluxe Tata Nano features

The Tata Nano Deluxe variant will come with air-conditioning/heater, body colored bumpers, reclining/adjustable driver and co-driver seat, speedometer, odometer, 2-spoke steering wheel, and folding rear seats.

The Tata Nano Deluxe variant will be available in Bright Red, Ivory White, Summer Blue, Champagne Gold, and Lunar Silver.

No alloy wheels on this one, according to the features list. But the body coloured bumpers itself make this car a much better looker than the standard Tata Nano

Luxury Tata Nano features

The Luxury variant of the Tata Nano will have alloy wheels, and fog lamps, along with air conditioning, body-colored bumpers, tripmeter, front power windows, 3-Spoke steering wheel, front and rear fog lamps, and central locking.

The Tata Nano luxury variant will come in Champagne Gold, Lunar Silver, and Sunshine Silver.

This one will be the costliest Nano in the market.

For those who have been waiting for a Tata Nano automatic or one with airbags, they are not part of the specifications of any Nano model which would be launched now. As Tata would struggle to meet the demand, it is quite likely that those features are not going to make their appearance till 2010.

Tata Nano: Dimensions

Tata Motors has said that the four-door Tata Nano can comfortably seat four people, with more leg space and head room. That is entirely right – the design of the Nano – especially interiors – is much superior to the Maruti 800 which is the only car you can compare it to. And the Nano is miles ahead in the interior space department.

The Tata Nano is 3.1 meters in length, 1.6 meters in height, and 1.5 meters in width with a wheelbase of 2230 mm and ground clearance of 180 mm.

Tata Nano: Engine Specifications

The Tata Nano has  a rear-wheel drive, all-aluminium, two-cylinder, 623 cc, 33 PS, multi point fuel injection petrol (MPFI) engine. This is the first time that a two-cylinder gasoline engine is being used in a car with single balancer shaft, the company claims. This is true for India; abroad, I think there have been twin cylinder cars before.

Rear wheel drive, rear engine configuration means that the front end is very light, and you would not feel the need for power steeing.

As an aside, what does a twin-cylinder petrol engine sound like? Does it sound like a motorcycle or a car? Guess we will have to wait and see.

The powertrain of the Tata Nano is set in the rear. Maximum power and maximum torque is  35 bhp @ 5500 rpm and 4.8 kgm @ 3000 rpm, respectively.

The Nano’s electronic engine management systems promises to eke out every bit of performance from the puny engine, and offer maximum fuel efficiency too.

In terms of performance, the Tata Nano can go from 0 to 60 kph in approximately in 8 Seconds, hitting a top speed of 105 kph.

Tata Nano: Safety Features

The Tata Nano comes with crumple zones, all sheet-metal body, fuel cut-off in case of collision, intrusion-resistant doors, seat belts, strong seats and anchorages. The tyres of the Tata Nano are tubeless, and the rear tailgate glass is bonded to the body, you can’t open it. The tubeless tyres are good, but they are really small visually – ride comfort could be an issue. with small tyres on less-than-perfect roads.

Tata Nano: Emission control and Environment Footprint

The Tata Nano promises lower pollution levels compared to two-wheelers made in India, says the company. Tata claims that the Tata Nano offers a high fuel efficiency of 20 km/liter, thereby ensuring low carbon dioxide emissions.

Tata had told a Financial Times correspondent on the sidelines of the Geneva Auto Show that he was thinking of making a car that would cost about € 2,000. Adjusted against the then exchange rate of the rupee, that translated to Rs 1 lakh. Tata says he had never really defined the project in his head exclusively by its pricing. “It was the media that said it,” says Tata. “But we decided to accept the challenge….” With that resolution, Tata imprisoned himself and his engineers in a promise to fulfil which they would have to all but rewrite the principles of automotive engineering.

see Cover story on Tata nano making

• No Radio, Power windows, air conditioning, anti lock brakes, air bags, remote locks or power steering.
• Rear wheel drive: manually actuated 4-speed trans axle that gives the car better fuel efficiency
• Wheel Bearing: Wheel bearing is strong enough to drive the car at 72kmph but would quickly wear out at higher speeds.
• Analogue speedometer, odometer and fuel gauge.
• Single windscreen wiper

Speed of Tata Nano:
Top speed – 105kmph

Dimensions:

• Length: 3.1m
• Height: 1.6 m
• Width: 1.5 m

Engine specifications for Tata Nano:

• Rear-wheel drive
• 2-cylinder, 624 cc
• 33 bhp
• Multi point fuel injection petrol engine.
• Engine is rear mounted.
• 1st time a 2-cylinder gasoline engine was being used in a car with single balancer shaft.
• Anti-vibe balancer shaft

Safety features for Tata Nano – The 1 Lakh car:

• Sheet metal body
• Crumple zones
• Intrusion resistant doors
• Seat belts
• Strong seats and anchorages
• Rear tailgate glass bonded to the body.
• Tubeless Tyres

How green is Tata Nano?

• Tailpipe emission exceeds current regulatory requirements
• Lower overall pollution level than two-wheelers
• Fuel efficient (20 km/litre), ensures low carbon dioxide emissions.

Front Bonnet

• Holds Battery
• Wind-Shield washer bottle
• Room for single suitcase
• Spare wheel

Tata nano dashboard interior front

Tata nano in Yellow